In keeping with the new and hard-won sense of prosperity in Atlantic City, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority hopes to bring arena football to the Boardwalk, specifically to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The early talk is a of three-year public/private partnership to bring Atlantic City within the fold of the AFL. Admittedly, 
Atlantic City is where professional teams go to die, such as the Atlantic City Seagulls, which went 0-28 in their final season, the only winless season ever recorded in the history of the bygone United States Basketball League. The AFL reacted positively and a formal announcement is expected today. As AFL Executive Committee Chairman Ron Jaworski put it, “in football parlance, we’ve driven 99 yards and we’re first-and-goal from the 1-yard line … I can’t say enough about the overwhelming support we’ve received from the city, the CRDA, the casino industry and the people. Everyone’s been behind this 100 percent.”
Jaws wasn’t the only happy camper. City Council President Marty Small enthused, “Atlantic City is always looking for ways to appeal to residents and visitors with new and different amenities, and this definitely fits. I’m for anything that will bring family-oriented entertainment here.” There’s even a Las Vegas connection: In May 2015, Jaworski’s Philadelphia Soul edged the subsequently disbanded Las Vegas Outlaws in the short-lived DraftKings Boardwalk Bowl. The presence of sports betting in Atlantic City made it an attractive destination for the AFL in this expansion round. Former Seagulls player Small took a realistic view, saying, “I’m well aware of the struggles that come with trying to make it as a professional team in the city. I’m hoping the Arena League team can make it.” So do we.
* If state Sen. Eddie Melton (D below) gets his wish, the two Majestic Star riverboats will soon be retired from casino service. Melton is pushing an economic-revival bill that would bring one Majestic Star license ashore in Gary and allow the other to be relocated 
elsewhere in the state, at least 100 miles from Gary. That would bring Terre Haute into play, as well as casino-aspiring Angola. That second license would have to be sold, with the proceeds going back into the public sector. Angola state Rep. Denny Zent (R) hadn’t seen Melton’s bill but said, “If it becomes law, our district will need to decide benefits vs. concerns before we proceed. Just being in the conversation is important as far as possible future economic development possibilities — upside or possible downside. If we can come to a consensus we are in a stronger position to compete as there are many areas who desire the casino.”
House Public Policy Committee Chairman Ben Smaltz (R) is keeping a watching brief on the embryonic law. “I think the competition from the neighboring states is hitting our casinos pretty hard and it’s hitting our casino revenue pretty hard,” he said and he’s absolutely right: Casinos that were bringing in $1.2 billion/year in tax revenue in their heyday now deliver $650 million. The prospect of opening a new market within Indiana ought to make Hoosier State solons receptive to Melton’s bill.
* For suspicious financial transactions, there’s no place like Macao. Last year, casinos reported 2,087, slightly up from 2017’s 2,074. However, the stability of the transactions — which are flagged as being worthy of attention if they exceed $62,500 — is the good news. Suspicious transactions did a moonshot in other sectors of the Macao economy, going from 265 to 507 last year. Las Vegas has had its issues with money laundering but it sounds like Macao could do better too.
